Thirty Before 30: # 6

#6: Try a food so bizarre people will go WHAT?!

 

Okay, so I have eaten a lot of weird foods. I was never a picky eater as a child because my parents let me try everything. I loved calamari by age 8. Mushrooms were my favorite before I could walk. I have had yak, quail, buffalo, elk, gator, frog legs. So, I wanted to find something really bizarre. I googled "bizarre foods New York" and stumbled upon this. I had no idea there is a show called bizarre foods. On Andrew Zimmerman's website I found an episode whre he went to Congee Bowery. I saw the food Andrew tried and I knew it was what I had to eat for number 6.

Are you ready for it????

Here it is.....

 

 

 

 

JELLYFISH

That's right and below is the video to prove it.

 



If you can't hear it, I said it reminded me of un-fried calamari and it was sweet and spicy. It was actually really good. And yes, I made C and his parents try it as well.

And while we were at it, I decided to try something else weird:

 

Shark fin and crab soup.
It was really yummy!

Side note: my lips were so chapped the whole time we were there. That is why they are bright red.

 

So, according to my friends Lish and Dan who have lived in the city. We went to a very good restaurant and it's Cantonese. I knew it was authentic when we were the only non-Asians there. Eventually some other people showed up but I could tell they were New Yorkers. I was proud of myself for picking a non-touristy restaurant.

 

Remember that episode of Friends where Monica gets stung by the jellyfish? My brother reminded me of this and asked what would happen if it had still been alive when I ate and had gotten stung. EEWW!!! GROSS!!!!

 

Thirty Before 30: #8

#8: Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

I didn't post on Thursday because I was too busy in NYC for the parade! I took so many pictures there are too many to post. In a nutshell, we had a really great place to stand. We did get there at 7am and the parade started at 9. Keep in mind that's where it starts so, we didn't really see it until 9:30. It got over after 11:30. That's A LOT of standing. However, it was totally worth it and wasn't too cold.

Here I am at the parade. That's the very end of it with the Macy's "Believe" balloons.

Spiderman!

Trace Atkins

(there were lots of other celebrities there including Whoopie Goldberg, Jimmy Fallon, Carly Rae Jeppsen, Neon Trees and Don McLean)

What we were all waiting for.... SANTA!!!

The "crew"

left to right front row: C's mom, my mom, my dad back row: C, his dad, me, my lil bro

(I have no idea why I have that weird expression on my face)

 

 



Thirty Before 30 #: 27

#27: Learn to drive a stick.

Last Friday, I had to ride with a colleague over to see a client. His Camry happens to be a manual. BINGO! Turns out, I remembered everything I had learned years ago and pretty much already knew how to drive one.

This is me driving the Camry in the parking lot. Apparently, his check engine light was on the next time he drove it. Surely, this is a coincidence!



Okay, so I think I am ready to complete #22 as most bad @$$ cars are stick shifts.

Thirty Before 30: #26

#26: Volunteer in a political election.

Okay, so here's the deal. Back in college I interned for a Congresswoman and got PLENTY of time volunteering for her election. Then, in the last presidential election I made calls for McCain/Palin. So, I don't feel bad I didn't technically volunteer in this campaign. I did sign up to make calls, but when we got on election night we were a little too late and they'd stopped making calls. I did however, put a sticker on my car and wear a pin all day showing my Romney/Ryan support. We did also go to the watch party and that was a lot of fun. I met two young ladies in high school who'd been very active in the campaign. I was so impressed by them! They not only worked hard in the campaign, they knew why they were voting the way they were. They knew facts, history and kept up with what was going on in the world. I now follow them on Twitter and just because the election has stopped, they sure haven't! They continue to follow the news and speak up for things they believe in. WOW! I hope they represent the future of America, instead of the usual "I just believe this because my teachers/society/friends tell me to" attitude. Here's a few pics of us on election night:

 

I normally do not get on my political soap box, but I know most of you who read this already know my political affiliation. Yes, I was extremely disappointed in the outcome of this election. I pray God will bless this country not because it deserves it (because as a whole it turned its back on Him a long time ago) but because there are so many of us who still believe in the foundations that this country was created on and have a true love of God and want to put His glory first. God bless America, and even more so America, bless God!

Thirty Before 30: #21

#21: Learn to successfully play tennis.

 

Yesterday was unseasonably warm. The high was 70, but at one point C's car thermometer said 86. So, what better way to spend the afternoon than by playing tennis? The hubby has taught me before, but it's been awhile. I remembered how to play (mostly) but I have trouble scoring. I think I've got it now. We had a great time. 

 



 My ADORABLE coach!

 

Here's the list again, with what I've accomplished so far crossed off. 

 

1: Meet Dave Brown (local weatherman, there is a story behind this I will explain after I accomplish this)

2: Learn a song on the guitar (still working on this!)

3: Take ballroom dance lessons

4: Decide what I want to do with my life (still working on this, too!)

 

5: Be actively involved in a charity

6: Try a new food that is something so bizarre it will make people go WHAT?!

7: Do at least one touristy thing in Memphis I've never done

8: Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (only a few weeks more!)

9: Write a letter to the editor

10: Ice skate at Rockefeller Center (same as Macy's)

11: Make a gourmet meal

12: Go to Graceland 2 (happening soon!)

13: Paint a picture

14: Floss regularly accomplished Sept.

15: Regular work-out schedule (work in progress)

16: Play a team sport started playing on a kickball team the beginning of September

17: Put $30 on black.

18: Watch the sunrise

19: kiss my husband in the rain (like in The Notebook)

20: Learn to can like my mama

21: Successfully learn to play tennis

22: Drive a bad @$$ car

23: Be able to fit into designer jeans I got for a steal! (work in progress)

24: Go without make-up

25: Ride my bike to work

26: Volunteer in political election (happening Tuesday!)

27: Learn to drive a stick

28: Get my handgun carry permit

29: Celebrate my birthday in style!

30: Think of all the wonderful blessings God's given me in the first 30 years and wait in anticipation for all the wonderful blessings to come!

Halloween Traditions

So, this year I decided to start a few Halloween traditions. We already carve pumpkins. So this year I decided to add to that. Sadly, we don't get any trick-or-treaters. Sigh.


Anyway, my friend Casey makes dinner in a pumpkin. I thought that would be a perfect tradition to start. Something C and I can enjoy and then eventually kids. So, she sent me the recipe this morning. It's ground beef, rice, soy sauce and other things (obviously). Yesterday I had sushi for lunch and chicken fried rice for dinner. I couldn't do soy sauce and rice again. Shoot. What was I going to do? I REALLY wanted to make dinner in a pumpkin! So I started Googling and found variations of Casey's recipe (which I do want to make) and then I found a recipe for macaroni and cheese in a pumpkin. SOLD!!! It turned out really good. It is extremely rich, but oh so delicious.


Why wouldn't you eat this on fine china?
And yes, we are drinking beer out of our crystal.

Macaroni and Cheese In a Pumpkin
1 large pie pumpkin or 4 smaller pie pumpkins

Cut the top off the pumpkins (a good size to get inside it) and scoop out the centers as you would for carving. You will want to scrape into the sides a bit to bring a little pumpkin flavor into the mac and cheese. Remove all the raw pumpkin you scraped, and the stringy insides.

4 links mild Italian sausage (or 1 pound other meat)
4 Tablespoons Butter
1 T flour
1 cup half and half
1/2 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce (optional)
1 1/2 cups shredded mild cheddar
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
2 cups uncooked pasta
1/2 cup panko crumbs

In a small fry pan saute the Italian sausage. Cook thoroughly and slice when links have cooled slightly.

In a medium saucepan on medium heat, melt the butter and add the flour. Stir with a wooden spoon until the flour is dissolved and slowly add the milk and cream, stirring as you add. Cook for about 5 minutes as the mixture begins to boil and thicken slightly. Stir regularly and you will see the mixture coat your spoon. Remove from heat and add Worcestershire and hot sauce if using. Slowly mix in the cheeses and stir well. Set aside the cheese mixture while the pasta boils.

The pasta is best cooked al dente if you plan on baking in the pumpkin. Drain the pasta and add to the cheese sauce. Add the cooked meat. Stir well and put into either a large pumpkin or smaller individual pumpkins, sprinkle with panko. If opting not to use a pumpkin, the pasta can be served right now. It can also be placed in a shallow dish and topped with panko crumbs and baked. Place the pumpkins on a sturdy baking sheet and cover with foil. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes for small pumpkins and 30 for a large pumpkin. Uncover and bake for about 5-10 minutes more to crisp the panko. Remove from oven and plate carefully. Put the lid on the plate for presentation! Store any leftovers in a separate container and not in the pumpkin.

And then the other tradition (of course!) we had to watch "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!" I love this movie. How can you not?

Thirty Before 30 #:5

#5: Be actively involved in a charity.

I know a few people who are involved in STREETS Ministries. I have always wanted to get involved. A few weeks ago I signed up and was called to be a mentor. This past Monday I met my mentee, "A." She is so sweet! She's very quiet, and every time I asked her something she'd say "yes ma'am." Love it! She's a cheerleader, in ROTC, loves sewing and crafts and has 3 little dogs. I had a great time meeting her and getting to know her. I know we will become fast friends. To all my local friends, check out Streets. It's a great organization. Kids are the future of this country, and that is why we must try and make a difference now. To all my non-local friends, I still highly encourage you to get involved in something.